British prime minister Theresa May welcomed the extension of the deadline for Qatar to respond to the concerns raised by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt.

May noted that this demonstrated the willingness of all parties to make progress towards a solution and the UK remains committed to supporting this process.

During a phone call with Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman Monday, the British official said that she looked forward to deepening close bilateral ties and discussing efforts to resolve the crisis with Qatar.

The two sides stressed that the UK and Saudi Arabia have a strong and historic partnership, and will continue to work together on areas such as trade, investment and security, in support of Saudi Arabia’s ambitious reform agenda ‘Vision 2030’, a Downing Street spokesperson said.

He also added that “the prime minister raised the issue of the ongoing isolation of Qatar in the region. May reiterated the need for all sides to take urgent steps, de-escalate the situation and restore Gulf Cooperation Council unity.”

The Prime Minister was also clear that Qatar should continue to work with its Gulf allies to tackle the threat of extremism and terrorism in the region.

Source: Fana News